COLLEGE STATION -- Ryan C. Crocker, dean and executive professor at the George Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, has been selected to receive the 2011 George Catlett Marshall Medal, the highest award presented by the Association of the United States Army (AUSA).

The Marshall Medal is awarded annually to an individual who has exhibited selfless service to the United States of America. It will be presented to Crocker by the Association’s Council of Trustees to recognize his contributions to the United States Foreign Service, the diplomatic corps, national defense and the men and women of the armed forces.

The award presentation will take place Oct. 12, at the George Catlett Marshall Memorial Dinner, the final event of the three-day AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D. C.

"As an exceptional diplomat and ambassador, who served his country for over thirty-seven years in many of the world’s most volatile, dangerous and challenging posts with extraordinary heroism, dedication and diplomacy, Ambassador Crocker is a true American icon who represents the best of public service and sacrifice to the nation," AUSA President Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, USA, Ret., said. "Through his close collaboration with General David H. Petraeus in Iraq, Ambassador Crocker has demonstrated how potent strong civil-military partnerships can be in addressing the global challenges we are faced with today,” Sullivan added.

Born in Spokane, Washington, Crocker grew up in an Air Force family, attending schools in Morocco, Canada and Turkey, as well as the U.S. He received a B.A. in English in 1971 and an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 2001 from Whitman College (Washington).

Crocker’s U. S. Foreign Service career included five ambassadorships: Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Kuwait and Lebanon, as well as other senior posts in the Near East and service as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. From May to August 2003, Crocker was in Baghdad as the first Director of Governance for the Coalition Provisional Authority.

He retired from the Foreign Service in April 2009 after a career of over 37 years, having been named Career Ambassador—the highest rank in the Foreign Service—by President George W. Bush. In 2009, President Bush also presented Crocker with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian award. In May 2009, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the establishment of the Ryan C. Crocker Award for Outstanding Achievement in Expeditionary Diplomacy.

"Ambassador Crocker’s unparalleled accomplishments and his extraordinary diplomatic career – in the tradition of soldier-statesman General George Catlett Marshall – make him truly deserving of the Marshall Medal, and we at AUSA are proud to recognize him in this way," Sullivan said.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to be selected as the 2011 recipient of the George Catlett Marshall Medal from the Association of the United States Army. A strong partnership between America’s civilian agencies overseas, led by the Foreign Service and the U.S. military, is crucial to America’s security. As Secretary of State and Defense, George Marshall personified this imperative. Working with great army officers such as General David Petraeus and General Ray Odierno, we strove to achieve full unity of effort. This same principle is upheld at Texas A&M through coordination between the Corps of Cadets and the Bush School. It is vital for America’s future.”